I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each to
replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each
to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into the zip
tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the zipper in rolls
of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at the end of these large
zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape sewn horizontally thru the teeth
and triple-tacked. The teeth are soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing
machine will punch right thru them, but a domestic machine would need a
little coaxing, or if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be
used.

You make a kind of box at the end if you don't want the zip slider to open
out to two seperate pieces, but if as with most applications on a yacht you
want the zip to open fully simply leave the teeth at the end of each zip
section and push these into the slider, but sew separate end stops at the
other end to stop the slider from coming off the end as you pull the zip
together.

Whether this unmade zipper is available to the public is dependant on the
country you live in.

Dennis.

Dennis Pogson wrote:

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each
to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into the zip
tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the zipper in rolls
of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at the end of these large
zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape sewn horizontally thru the teeth
and triple-tacked. The teeth are soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing
machine will punch right thru them, but a domestic machine would need a
little coaxing, or if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be
used.

Perhaps there is come confusion here about which end of my zippers is
failing.
It is the starting end when trying to begin closing it, not the end which
stops the zipper
after it has closed the opening.



You make a kind of box at the end if you don't want the zip slider to open
out to two seperate pieces, but if as with most applications on a yacht you
want the zip to open fully simply leave the teeth at the end of each zip
section and push these into the slider, but sew separate end stops at the
other end to stop the slider from coming off the end as you pull the zip
together.

On this boat cover, I want the zipper opening to separate completely to
allow me to remove the cover. This starting end of the zipper must hold
the two sides together or that end will open, making the zipper inoperable
since the zipper cannot close the teeth in the reverse direction. YKK got
the brilliant idea to incorporate this starting piece as an integral part of
the
whole zipper, making the zipper impossible to repair. The cost of the
zipper
is not unmanagable, but the labor to remove the defective zipper and install

a new zipper is a costly and labor intensive operation.



Whether this unmade zipper is available to the public is dependant on the
country you live in.

Dennis.

sherwindu wrote:
Dennis Pogson wrote:

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each
to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into the zip
tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the zipper in rolls
of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at the end of these large
zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape sewn horizontally thru the teeth
and triple-tacked. The teeth are soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing
machine will punch right thru them, but a domestic machine would need a
little coaxing, or if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be
used.

Perhaps there is come confusion here about which end of my zippers is
failing.
It is the starting end when trying to begin closing it, not the end which
stops the zipper
after it has closed the opening.

I thought he addressed both the starting ends and what to do if you
didn't want it to separate all the way..

FWIW, If the bottom end of a zipper fails, and I don't want the slide
to go all the way down and come off, I put a safety pin across just
before the end.


You make a kind of box at the end if you don't want the zip slider to open
out to two seperate pieces, but if as with most applications on a yacht you
want the zip to open fully simply leave the teeth at the end of each zip
section and push these into the slider, but sew separate end stops at the
other end to stop the slider from coming off the end as you pull the zip
together.

On this boat cover, I want the zipper opening to separate completely to
allow me to remove the cover. This starting end of the zipper must hold
the two sides together or that end will open, making the zipper inoperable
since the zipper cannot close the teeth in the reverse direction. YKK got
the brilliant idea to incorporate this starting piece as an integral part of
the
whole zipper, making the zipper impossible to repair. The cost of the
zipper
is not unmanagable, but the labor to remove the defective zipper and install

a new zipper is a costly and labor intensive operation.



Whether this unmade zipper is available to the public is dependant on the
country you live in.

Dennis.

grandma Rosalie

I thought he addressed both the starting ends and what to do if you
didn't want it to separate all the way..

There is only one starting end and one finishing end. The problem is not
that the slider is going off the end of the zipper. It is the starting end that
has the broken pieces. Either the zipper can't start in the closing operation,
or if it is already closed, the starting end can open without the slide passing
over it. Since the zipper can only mesh the teeth in the closing direction,
it becomes inoperable and the zipper cannot be opened. Both cases are
bad news.



FWIW, If the bottom end of a zipper fails, and I don't want the slide
to go all the way down and come off, I put a safety pin across just
before the end.

That works for the 'bottom' or closed end. It doesn't help the starting end.
YKK is supposed to be one of the best zipper companies for marine applications,
yet they produce these junky products that will not hold up in that kind of
environment.
To make things worse, they make the zippers unrepairable, incurring the expenses
I previously mentioned. About a year ago, they came out with a UV resistant
zipper,
which was too late to be used on my cover. I have not idea if this 'upgrade'
really solves the
basic problem, and I'm not sure YKK will do anything to make this right.

Sherwin D.

grandma Rosalie

Rosalie B. wrote:
sherwindu wrote:
Dennis Pogson wrote:

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to
guide the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be
repaired. I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only
choice in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars
each to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into
the zip tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the
zipper in rolls of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at
the end of these large zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape
sewn horizontally thru the teeth and triple-tacked. The teeth are
soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing machine will punch right
thru them, but a domestic machine would need a little coaxing, or
if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be used.

Perhaps there is come confusion here about which end of my zippers
is failing.
It is the starting end when trying to begin closing it, not the
end which stops the zipper
after it has closed the opening.

I thought he addressed both the starting ends and what to do if you
didn't want it to separate all the way..

FWIW, If the bottom end of a zipper fails, and I don't want the slide
to go all the way down and come off, I put a safety pin across just
before the end.

What a jolly good idea!

I think most people think that having a moulded starter on a large-toothed
zipper is essential. It isn't. If you can find some way of stopping the tape
from fraying, it's easy to feed the zipper into the slider, so long as you
get the correct end to start off with, which can usually be learned by
looking closely at the teeth. A zipper can only be opened one way, unless
brute force is used, then it's goodbye zipper!

Obviously it's much nicer to have a plastic moulding sliding into a
"garage", but in a marine environment these should always be of the plastic
variety, not the cheap alloy which so many manufacturers use, which corrodes
like hell and is impossible to get the salt out of, even by boiling. Check
out your (expensive) sailing jacket and you'll see what I mean.

Makers of "sausage type" racing sailbags get round the open-end problem by
simply extending the zipper about 18" past the end of the bag, like a long
tail, and terminating the closed end with a substantial multi-stitched tape
stopper.

20 zippers is one hell of a lot to repair due to the costs of dismantling,
and I would bet that a new cover would be almost as cheap, but think about
touch-and-close Velcro before designing same. There are numerous strengths
of these fastenings, some of which would hold the Queen Mary! Not very
convenient for long lengths due to handling problems, but infinitely longer
lasting. A sail batten stiched into a hem, and finished with touch an' close
makes for a much easier-to-handle closure than a damaged zipper.

Dennis.

Dennis Pogson wrote:

Rosalie B. wrote:
sherwindu wrote:
Dennis Pogson wrote:

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to
guide the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be
repaired. I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only
choice in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars
each to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into
the zip tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the
zipper in rolls of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at
the end of these large zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape
sewn horizontally thru the teeth and triple-tacked. The teeth are
soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing machine will punch right
thru them, but a domestic machine would need a little coaxing, or
if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be used.

Perhaps there is come confusion here about which end of my zippers
is failing.
It is the starting end when trying to begin closing it, not the
end which stops the zipper
after it has closed the opening.

I thought he addressed both the starting ends and what to do if you
didn't want it to separate all the way..

FWIW, If the bottom end of a zipper fails, and I don't want the slide
to go all the way down and come off, I put a safety pin across just
before the end.

What a jolly good idea!

I think most people think that having a moulded starter on a large-toothed
zipper is essential. It isn't. If you can find some way of stopping the tape
from fraying, it's easy to feed the zipper into the slider, so long as you
get the correct end to start off with, which can usually be learned by
looking closely at the teeth. A zipper can only be opened one way, unless
brute force is used, then it's goodbye zipper!

Obviously it's much nicer to have a plastic moulding sliding into a
"garage", but in a marine environment these should always be of the plastic
variety, not the cheap alloy which so many manufacturers use, which corrodes
like hell and is impossible to get the salt out of, even by boiling. Check
out your (expensive) sailing jacket and you'll see what I mean.

Makers of "sausage type" racing sailbags get round the open-end problem by
simply extending the zipper about 18" past the end of the bag, like a long
tail, and terminating the closed end with a substantial multi-stitched tape
stopper.

20 zippers is one hell of a lot to repair due to the costs of dismantling,
and I would bet that a new cover would be almost as cheap, but think about
touch-and-close Velcro before designing same. There are numerous strengths
of these fastenings, some of which would hold the Queen Mary! Not very
convenient for long lengths due to handling problems, but infinitely longer
lasting. A sail batten stiched into a hem, and finished with touch an' close
makes for a much easier-to-handle closure than a damaged zipper.

Dennis.

Thanks again Dennis for your reply.

A rust resistant safety pin may work here except if even a few of the teeth
open
at the starter end, it's almost impossible to open the zipper fully past
them. However,
if YKK does not come through with a good solution for me, I will consider the
safety
pin as a much cheaper alternative. Anybody know where they sell large rust
proof
safety pins? I will then take a picture of this 'fix' and send it to YKK
corporate as
an indication of their 'quality' products.

Sherwin D.

sherwindu wrote:

Diaper pins

Dennis Pogson wrote:

Rosalie B. wrote:
sherwindu wrote:
Dennis Pogson wrote:

sherwindu wrote:
I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and
disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to
guide the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be
repaired. I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only
choice in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars
each to replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

The zippers with large teeth do not need the end stops moulded into
the zip tape. I worked in the trade before retiring and bought the
zipper in rolls of 100m and the sliders separately. The stopper at
the end of these large zippers can be simply a piece of zip tape
sewn horizontally thru the teeth and triple-tacked. The teeth are
soft p[alstic and an industrial sewing machine will punch right
thru them, but a domestic machine would need a little coaxing, or
if you are stuck a sailmakers needle and palm can be used.

Perhaps there is come confusion here about which end of my zippers
is failing.
It is the starting end when trying to begin closing it, not the
end which stops the zipper
after it has closed the opening.

I thought he addressed both the starting ends and what to do if you
didn't want it to separate all the way..

FWIW, If the bottom end of a zipper fails, and I don't want the slide
to go all the way down and come off, I put a safety pin across just
before the end.

What a jolly good idea!

I think most people think that having a moulded starter on a large-toothed
zipper is essential. It isn't. If you can find some way of stopping the tape
from fraying, it's easy to feed the zipper into the slider, so long as you
get the correct end to start off with, which can usually be learned by
looking closely at the teeth. A zipper can only be opened one way, unless
brute force is used, then it's goodbye zipper!

Obviously it's much nicer to have a plastic moulding sliding into a
"garage", but in a marine environment these should always be of the plastic
variety, not the cheap alloy which so many manufacturers use, which corrodes
like hell and is impossible to get the salt out of, even by boiling. Check
out your (expensive) sailing jacket and you'll see what I mean.

Makers of "sausage type" racing sailbags get round the open-end problem by
simply extending the zipper about 18" past the end of the bag, like a long
tail, and terminating the closed end with a substantial multi-stitched tape
stopper.

20 zippers is one hell of a lot to repair due to the costs of dismantling,
and I would bet that a new cover would be almost as cheap, but think about
touch-and-close Velcro before designing same. There are numerous strengths
of these fastenings, some of which would hold the Queen Mary! Not very
convenient for long lengths due to handling problems, but infinitely longer
lasting. A sail batten stiched into a hem, and finished with touch an' close
makes for a much easier-to-handle closure than a damaged zipper.

Dennis.

Thanks again Dennis for your reply.

A rust resistant safety pin may work here except if even a few of the teeth
open
at the starter end, it's almost impossible to open the zipper fully past
them. However,
if YKK does not come through with a good solution for me, I will consider the
safety
pin as a much cheaper alternative. Anybody know where they sell large rust
proof
safety pins? I will then take a picture of this 'fix' and send it to YKK
corporate as
an indication of their 'quality' products.

Sherwin D.


grandma Rosalie

Although I am not happy with all the problems with these zippers, I have to
comment
that after finally making contact with the right YKK people, they have sent
me replacement boxes and pins. I have not tried to install them yet, so I
hope they do the job.

Sherwin D.

sherwindu wrote:

I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each to
replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.

Check out RIRI zippers. Sailrite now carries them and they're supposed to be
more UV resistant.

-- Geoff


sherwindu wrote:

I have several 8VS zippers on my boat cover, which was made for me
about 5 years ago. The teeth and sliders of this zipper are in
excellent shape, but the pin and boxes have dried out and disintegrated.

The pin and box is the small item at the start of the zipper to guide
the slider on.
I am told this item is integral to the zipper and cannot be repaired.
I think YKK's recent fix for this problem of using UV
resistant zippers is not necessarily the best fix, but the only choice
in using
a YKK system. Years ago YKK zippers had a removable pin and box
piece that could be attached if the original one broke, but now
everything
is one piece to save costs. Although YKK hints at paying for the
material
costs of new zippers, labor could cost me as much as 35 dollars each to
replace and I have over 20 zippers on this cover.

Sherwin D.